đź“·Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro
Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro are collaborating on Senate Bill (SB) 2368 to strengthen the Philippines’ espionage laws, targeting cyber espionage with tougher penalties.
In a radio interview over the weekend, Estrada said Teodoro instructed his Department of National Defense staff to coordinate with him on amending the current anti-espionage law.
SB 2368 aims to update the Philippines’ espionage laws, which were established under Commonwealth Act 616 of 1941 and the Revised Penal Code, which has been in force since 1932.
Under the bill, Estrada is pushing for stricter penalties for espionage, proposing up to 30 years of imprisonment and fines reaching P500,000.
“The expansion of the coverage of espionage includes new provisions addressing cyber espionage. This legislation is a response to evolving threats and technological advancements,” Estrada said.
Estrada also underscored the need to update the law and increase penalties to safeguard government information, including classified national security matters, from theft, destruction, alteration, or misuse by individuals, foreign governments, and their agents.
Teodoro’s offer to assist Estrada in refining and fast-tracking his bill followed the revelation that dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, was involved in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs. She Zhijiang, a self-confessed Chinese spy detained in Thailand, alleged in an Al Jazeera documentary that Guo was conducting espionage for Beijing, a claim Guo denied.
“What’s important is, there is punishment for espionage even in time of peace. Espionage law in the Philippines is in effect only during times of war,” Teodoro earlier said. (TCSP)
